fulltimin
Home is where we Park It.
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Joined: 12/14/2003
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Now, let's make another box (green) inside our original box. If we put screws (blue) through the top, bottom, and sides, that will give us some extra strength, even without the prior braces.
This inner box, acts as a strengthener.
![[image]](http://paddleupstream.com/mohorebuild/box3.jpg)
If you want to do something, you will find a way.
If you don't, you will find an excuse.
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Good judgement comes from experience.
A lot of experience, comes from bad judgement.
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fulltimin
Home is where we Park It.
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Joined: 12/14/2003
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Now we will add a piece of plywood (red), to cover the entire side of the interior box (green).
While we are at it, we will nail, and GLUE the plywood to the frame (green) that we built and screwed to the outer frame (black).
This will make a serious difference in the strength of our box, to keep it from collapsing, when pressure is applied left or right at the top.
![[image]](http://paddleupstream.com/mohorebuild/box4.jpg)
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fulltimin
Home is where we Park It.
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Joined: 12/14/2003
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Now, while we are at it, on the opposite side, we will add a small box, with the same parameters.
We will nail and glue a piece of plywood to the green frame, and then screw that to the outer (black) box.
By adding boxes like this to the inside of this black frame, we can strengthen it very significantly, so it will take all kinds of stresses from side to side, and it will help with stresses from front to back, if the box is build the same way for front to back movement.
![[image]](http://paddleupstream.com/mohorebuild/box5.jpg)
Ok, so what does this have to do with anything?
Well, this is how many rv's are built. The large box on the right simulates that cabinet that is used as a pantry, or clothes closet.
The one on the left, simulates the storage cabinets, that are above your dining table, living room chairs, and in the bedroom.
This is what allows the sidewalls to be built lighter (strength wise), and then supported by the cabinets inside the rv. It is put together as a "unit", with the cabinets as a part of the "unit".
And you thought the manufacturer just put them in there so you would have more storage.
All those storage cabinets add to the strength of the unit.
If you are rebuilding a motor home, or trailer, remember to make sure it has sufficient strength to hold together, when you are going down the road at 60 mph.
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Larry202br
Olathe, Ks
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Your welds look pretty good. Are you using gasless MIG, with flux wire? What welder do you have?
2006 Open Road 316 RLDS-5
2004 F-250 Diesel, short bed, SRW, Crew cab, 3.73 auto.
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tropical36
Southwest Florida_USA
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fulltimin wrote:Started to look into some water damage in the kitchen of our 83 Pace Arrow. The more I looked, the more I found. I have some pics of the damage so far. Anyone interested in following a rebuild thread?
You are to be commended for your hard work and perseverance, but may I ask why you chose this particular coach for this project and considering all the other choices out there, like Newell or Bluebird for example? Some of these old ones are nearly free, when in need of that much work.
"We are often so caught up in our destination that we forget to appreciate the journey."
07 Revolution LE 40E_Spartan MM_06 400HP C9 CAT_Allison 3000.
Dinghy_2010 Jeep Wrangler JKU ISLANDER.
1998 36ft. National Tropi-Cal Chevy Model 6350 (Sold)
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fulltimin
Home is where we Park It.
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Joined: 12/14/2003
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Larry202br wrote:Your welds look pretty good. Are you using gasless MIG, with flux wire? What welder do you have?
First off, thank you.
No gas MIG. Nothing special about the welder. Just store bought Lincoln.
You can see in the pic, the settings for the MIG.
![[image]](http://paddleupstream.com/mohorebuild/lincolnwelder.jpg)
Also, here is the welding wire, again, nothing special about it.
It is .030 flux core, bought at Lowes.
![[image]](http://paddleupstream.com/mohorebuild/weldingwire2.jpg)
Just for the record, I am not, nor have I ever been a certified welder. I also was not in the welding profession.
This was just something I learned as I went - no, I didn't start learning on this job, either.
I played around with other smaller projects, before I started this one.
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fulltimin
Home is where we Park It.
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Joined: 12/14/2003
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tropical36 wrote:fulltimin wrote:Started to look into some water damage in the kitchen of our 83 Pace Arrow. The more I looked, the more I found. I have some pics of the damage so far. Anyone interested in following a rebuild thread?
You are to be commended for your hard work and perseverance, but may I ask why you chose this particular coach for this project and considering all the other choices out there, like Newell or Bluebird for example? Some of these old ones are nearly free, when in need of that much work.
I am not sure commended is the right term, maybe crazy would fit a little better. LOL. I dunno.
Mostly, I am having some fun doing this, although it turned out to be a way larger project than I originally thought it would be.
As far as why this one? Well, it was obviously paid for.
The reasoning for this one, is below. -----------
WARNING - LONG POST -
Question. Why would anyone want to rebuild a motor home that is 34 years old, and only 27' long overall? Why not something bigger, newer, more bells and whistles?
I am glad you asked.
Below are a few reasons why this rv is a very good fit for us.
Not everyone will agree with our choices, and that is ok. If they don't rv the same way we do, then, their needs will be different, but here are some of ours.
First of all, we travel with no toad.
This motor home is short enough, that we can take it almost anywhere we choose to go. Ever been through a Wendy's drive thru with your motor home? We have. Wendy's has no overhangs on their buildings. Got a couple of strange looks and some laughs, but, we never had to get out to go inside.
In cases where there is a restaurant we want to go in, many times, but not always, we can park in a normal parking space, and if the restaurant has a parking area with grass, we can back in, and leave the back end hang out over the grass. That leaves about 20' from the rear tires to the front bumper. Only slightly longer than some of the larger cars.
No slides. While that is a negative for some people, for us, it's a plus. No extra hole in the side of the rv to leak. And believe me, we know leaks! No motor, nor hydraulics to drive the slide in and out, which equals less weight.
This thing has a Chevy 454 engine in it. The same engine that was used in pick up trucks, medium duty trucks during that time frame, with who knows how many of them still on the road today.
Which means that parts for the engine are generally easy to come by.
The transmission that is in it, is a turbo 400, again, which was used in pickups, suburbans, etc. Many of them still on the road, easy to get parts.
With all these trucks on the road, finding a mechanic to work on one, (if needed), is not too difficult.
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In our travels, we like to "graze". We sometimes sit still for a while, and other times, just keep moving, albeit, slowly. That means when we are done for the day, we don't have to "go back" to a campground, or central location, for the night. We just stop.
Next morning, we just move a little more.
By running the generator, and the overhead air, the whole coach stays cool. If it's cool out, we can keep the coach warm. We don't have to get out, and go back to a cold or hot trailer.
Somebody said, well, we just run the generator, and keep the trailer warm or cool. Ok, valid point. What are you going to do, when it's pouring down rain, and you really, really need to use the facilities? Your genny for the trailer, isn't going to fix that, you are going to get wet.
The turning radius on this is pretty decent. Not fantastic, bet decent. With a 30' trailer, you can add another nearly 20' for the truck, and now you have about 50' of steel running down the highway.
Try parking that in a Wendy's parking lot.... Lol.
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When we get hungry, we just stop. If we need the facilities, we just stop. If we need a nap, we just stop.
We do not have to hunt for a restroom, because we are driving the toad around, and the camper is back at the campground.
We do not have to hunt for a restaurant, because the rv is back at the campground.
We do not have to drive back to the rv, because we are tired and need a nap.
We have it all with us, all the time. A kitchen, bathroom, and bed. How much better can it get?
There is only my wife and I that travel, so having loads of room, isn't a concern for us. As my wife said - it's just more to clean.
We worked out a system that works for us, where one cooks in the kitchen, while the other takes a break. With the new floor plan, that may change a little bit, but it works for us.
Tires. Consider the tires. This rig has 16" tires on it. Going to a larger rv, and now those 16" tires, jump up to 19.5's. Have you ever priced 19.5" tires, and compared the price to 16"? No comparison. Way cheaper to replace the 16's over the 19.5's.
Basically as stated somewhat before, most of the chassis parts, are similar to either a 1 ton pickup truck, or the P30 vans.
Less weight. The GVW on this is 12,300. I am working to reduce some of the weight while putting this back together, so we can have a little more cargo carrying capacity.
We have spent months at a time in this, and were very happy with the size, overall.
So, for us, it works well. Your mileage may vary.
More bells and whistles, = more things to go wrong. Kiss Keep it simple ....
One thing, I will let you in on. Before I started this project, we talked about it, and my wife said .... "I really am not overly concerned with the outside of the rv. The one thing I do want, is for the inside of the motor home (drum roll please), to look like a house".
So, those are my parameters, for the inside. Make it look like a house.
Uh, OK.
Now you have a glimpse into the future of this rebuild.
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fulltimin
Home is where we Park It.
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Joined: 12/14/2003
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I did not get to spend much time in the motor home today, but I did get a little done.
In the first pic, the green arrows are pointing to a stud, that originally, I was going to leave in place. It was one of the original pieces of steel, and was in pretty good shape.
After replacing the front section around, above, and below the co-pilots window, I decided to replace this one also.
The 2 red lines indicate 2 pieces of steel, running horizontally, that were there originally, but I had to remove in order to replace the stud on the right.
Hopefully, I will have time tomorrow, to replace those 2 pieces.
![[image]](http://paddleupstream.com/mohorebuild/passengersideinfrontofdoor19.jpg)
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fulltimin
Home is where we Park It.
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Joined: 12/14/2003
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This pic shows the side window at the back, that I wasn't able to complete earlier, because I did not have the steel.
After my last order of steel came in, I got sidetracked on the front end, and didn't finish this section.
So, now I have the steel, and can finish this.
The Green arrow points to a stud, again, that is an original stud, but was about a foot to the left. You can see some of the plywood, that I didn't remove after cutting that stud out, and moving it to the right, next to the window.
I am going to replace that old piece of steel, with a new piece also.
I also need to add 2 new pieces, 1 above, and 1 below the window, indicated by the green lines.
Then I will add a couple of upright studs, (yellow lines), so I have 2' centers on this section of the wall also.
![[image]](http://paddleupstream.com/mohorebuild/passengersidebehinddoor7.jpg)
So, all in all, we are still moving forward, sometimes not as fast as I would like, but, getting there.
Stay tuned.
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Larry202br
Olathe, Ks
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fulltimin wrote:Larry202br wrote:Your welds look pretty good. Are you using gasless MIG, with flux wire? What welder do you have?
First off, thank you.
No gas MIG. Nothing special about the welder. Just store bought Lincoln.
You can see in the pic, the settings for the MIG.
Also, here is the welding wire, again, nothing special about it.
It is .030 flux core, bought at Lowes.
Just for the record, I am not, nor have I ever been a certified welder. I also was not in the welding profession.
This was just something I learned as I went - no, I didn't start learning on this job, either.
I played around with other smaller projects, before I started this one.
Thanks for the reply. Another technical question, you are cutting lots of pieces of steel. You showed one instance of cutting the square tubing with a cut-off wheel, is that how you're cutting all the steel?
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